The invention relates to a method for controlling a welding unit and a current source, as well as a control device for a welding unit.
Methods for controlling welding units and current sources and a device required for this purpose are known, which enable different welding parameters, such as a welding current, an additional material, a welding method, for example, etc., to be set from an input and/or output device, so that a control device can control the individual components of the welding unit accordingly on the basis of the pre-set welding parameters enabling a user to perform a corresponding welding process.
The underlying objective of this invention is to propose a method of controlling a welding unit and current source as well as a device, whereby welding parameters can be easily entered or edited to enable a welding process to be configured and performed accordingly.
This object is achieved with a method in which various welding parameters can be set by a user via an input or output device, the set welding parameters being applied to a control device, after which the welding unit and the current source are activated by the control device in accordance with the pre-set welding parameters. Various desired values for the different welding parameters being stored in a memory device, read by the control device and displayed on the input or output device when a welding method is retrieved. The desired value for at least one welding parameter of a welding method are stored in the memory device for the minimum and maximum values in the form of a minimum and maximum curve to create a three-dimensional characteristic curve and, when a welding parameter falling between the minimum and maximum values or curves is retrieved or set, the control device determines the other desired values of the other welding parameters of this welding method by means of an interpolation calculator. The advantage of this arrangement is that by storing a minimum and a maximum curve for a welding process, only a small memory capacity is required, which means that a plurality of different curves for different welding processed can be stored in a welding unit. Another advantage resides in the fact that by interleaving or deriving several welding parameters from one welding parameter by a simple computing method, in particular an interpolation computation method, every value of a welding parameter or every welding parameter can be determined but the user can preset individual or a few welding parameters to which the other welding parameters will be adjusted so that user-defined welding parameters can be applied to the computation of the weld seam and individual welding parameters in order to produce a corresponding weld seam.
Further advantages can be taken from the detailed drawings.
The invention also relates to a control device for a welding unit.
This control device comprises an input or output device connected to the control device, a memory device for storing operating data and a power component, desired values being stored in the memory device of the welding unit for the purpose of setting up a welding parameter or a welding process. The desired values are adjustable via the input or output device when retrieved or activated, and the desired values are made up of a plurality of minimum and maximum curves to create a three-dimensional characteristic curve. The advantage of this arrangement is that a large number of different minimum and maximum curves can be used for different welding processes but only a small memory capacity is required. Another advantage is that the other welding parameters needed for the different settings of a welding process can be calculated by means of a simple computing method, in particular an interpolation computation method, thereby producing a three-dimensional characteristic curve for a welding method. Yet another advantage is that by pre-setting minimum values and maximum values, incorrect computations can be ruled out because the minimum values and the maximum values simultaneously serve as threshold values for a possible welding configuration of the welding unit, which means that an error signal can be issued by the control device in the event of a drop below or rise above a threshold value and the user can re-set the welding unit.